What Types Of Trees Should You Use In Edible Landscaping?

There are many types of trees that could go into an edible landscape:
fruit trees, nut trees, bonsai trees, pine trees ... depending on your
climate you could even go with unusual trees like the Kentucky coffee
tree (decaf, anyone?).

So how do you decide what types of trees to use in your edible landscaping?

Since trees are by definition perennial, you might take a look at the
perennial garden design
page for some design hints.

Bottom line is that you need to know some basic things about the tree or trees you're considering:

How big will they get? Think about their final width as well as their final height. You will most likely be planting your shade gardens
underneath this tree once it gets larger, so take that into
consideration. A tree looks cute when it's in the pot, but if it takes
up your entire yard a few years later, it might turn into a nightmare.

Also, take a look at the tips for
starting a garden
when it comes to tree placement. Putting a tree under a power line or over a sewer main is asking for trouble.

In
general, it's best not to plant a tree closer than 10 feet from your
foundation or the nearest hardscape, especially if the tree has shallow
roots or a wide spread. Of course, there are exceptions, but keep that
rule of thumb in mind when you're planning out your edible garden
design.

Will they grow well in your area?
Trying to plant a tropical tree in the desert (unless you're next to a
river) might require more watering than you're prepared for. Many types
of trees require cold weather to set fruit (some apples,
for example), while others can be damaged or even killed by cold (peach
trees and most of the tropical trees fall into this category).

Some trees grow better in one kind of soil than others, too. If you're not sure what kind of soil you have, get it tested.

With
small plants and shrubs, it's possible to amend the soil enough for
your plant to survive a bad situation, but since a tree is so large,
choosing trees that are suited to your area's soil and water conditions
will lead to a more successful result.

Do you
have a plan for the food you'll be producing? Sure, most edible trees
take several years to produce anything, but ten years from now you might
have bushels of fruit to deal with. Make sure you're prepared.

Using trees in your landscape design

There are many ways to look at trees: by shape,
color, what they produce, by what you will be using them for (shade vs
bonsai vs espalier)

Tree shapes

The
shape of the edible trees you plant can be part of the design in your
yard. Round windows with round trees will look well together. Rows of
columnar trees on either side of a long country driveway makes an
elegant statement.

Ways to use trees in your edible landscape design

Any tree can be used for shade when it
has grown tall enough, but some trees grow in a more dense pattern or
have a wider spread than others. Peach and pecan trees are some examples
of edible trees that are good if you want a shady area in your yard.

Bonsai is an ancient form of container gardening.
A bonsai artist plants trees in trays or small pots then trains them to
grow into artistic shapes. Bonsai is mostly used for ornamental
purposes but some mature edible bonsai provide fruit as well.

A bonsai fruit tree would look great in a Chinese or Japanese themed patio.

To espalier a tree means to train it to
grow flat along a wall. This is one way to have fruit trees in a small
space where a normal orchard isn't possible.

While all types of trees
can be espaliered, your best results will usually be with dwarf fruit
trees.

Trees can also be trained up over arbors to form archways, just like grapes and other vine fruits.

Edible trees can also be used as borders, as hedges, and in hedgerows.

There
are as many things to be said about edible trees as there are types of
trees, and there's no way for me to ever cover them all!

I'll make
a list of a few topics to help you in growing edible trees -- let's
start with this: